supercritical
Past the threshold
Supercritical describes a state beyond a critical threshold.
In physics, a supercritical mass of fissile material can sustain a nuclear chain reaction.
In chemistry, a supercritical fluid exists above its critical temperature and pressure, behaving as neither liquid nor gas: Supercritical CO2 is used to decaffeinate coffee.
The term appears in engineering contexts for systems operating above critical parameters.
Respiration byproduct, photosynthesis fuel
- extractionAct of removing
- solubilityDissolving potential in liquid
- densityMass-to-volume ratio
- diffusivitySpreading rate constant
compressibility · phase transition · miscibility · solvation · decaffeination · chromatography · drying · dyeing
State of utmost importance
- neutronsUncharged subatomic particles
- reactorControlled fission apparatus
- fissionNuclear breakup releasing energy
- chain reactionSelf-sustaining causal sequence
plutonium · uranium · core · breeder · control rods · scram · meltdown · fuel rods
Force upon contact
- temperatureMeasured heat intensity
- isothermalAt uniform temperature
- enthalpyThermodynamic total heat quantity
- entropyQuantified chaos in systems
Lift-generating curved surface
- transonicNear sound-speed velocity
- shock wavePropagating pressure disturbance
- laminar flowSmooth, parallel fluid motion
- boundary layerViscous region near walls
Mach number · commercial aviation · fuel efficiency · cruise speed · buffet
carbon dioxide
Respiration byproduct, photosynthesis fuel
- extractionAct of removing
- solubilityDissolving potential in liquid
- densityMass-to-volume ratio
diffusivity · compressibility · phase transition · miscibility · solvation · decaffeination · chromatography · drying · dyeing · cleaning
criticality
State of utmost importance
- neutronsUncharged subatomic particles
- reactorControlled fission apparatus
- fissionNuclear breakup releasing energy
chain reaction · plutonium · uranium · core · breeder · control rods · scram · meltdown · fuel rods · moderator
pressure
Force upon contact
- temperatureMeasured heat intensity
- isothermalAt uniform temperature
- enthalpyThermodynamic total heat quantity
airfoil
Lift-generating curved surface
- transonicNear sound-speed velocity
- shock wavePropagating pressure disturbance
- laminar flowSmooth, parallel fluid motion
boundary layer · Mach number · commercial aviation · fuel efficiency · cruise speed · buffet
- "super" wordssuperhero, superstar, superman, superwoman, superpower
- Nuclearnuclear reactor, atomic bomb, nuclear energy, atomic bombs, uranium
- nuclear physicsnuclear energy, fission, nuclear fission, neutron, proton
- Reactor Statesshutdown, startup, scram, steady state, operating
- nuclear weaponsatomic bomb, atom bomb, warheads, hydrogen bomb, a-bomb
- Nuclear AccidentsChernobyl, Fukushima, Three Mile Island, meltdown, containment breach
supercriticalsubcritical
Below critical mass
noncritical · critical · shutdown · quenched · damped
supercriticalsubcritical
Below critical mass
two-phase · liquid · liquid phase · gaseous · gas phase
critical, criticism, critic, criticize, critique, critically, superlative, uncritical, hypocritical